Mestizo Magic- Dance All Night (ft. LeLe)

Here's the latest one from Mestizo Magic (and if you didn't know- aka my husband) featuring yours truly. It's definitely one you can dance to in the club. I like the breakdown in the middle. Check it out:

Cali Girl Sweet Treats

.... is a go!

Since living here in Borongan, I've been baking quite a bit, trying out new recipes. Some have failed, but most have been pretty good. And there are a few things I've gotten really good at making.

At the beginning of December, I had made my Calamansi Brownies. We took some over to J's uncle and auntie's houses and they really enjoyed them. We took some to our family next door, and they loved them as well. After their first bites, they asked  me "Can I order some more?" and I said sure, and it's just taken off from there. After that day-- Cali Girl Sweet Treats was born! The calamansi brownies are a big hit, and so are my red velvet brownies. No one's even heard of red velvet here, so I'm glad I was the first to expose these people to the heavenly deliciousness that is red velvet {side note- I've discovered that red velvet from scratch is WAY BETTER than the boxed stuff. Seriously.} I also make peanut butter chocolate chip brownies, funfetti cookies, and calamansi crinkle cookies. It's a small menu right now, but I plan on trying out more recipes in the near future.

{A Little Belated} Merry Christmas!

Silly & cheesy... just like us.

I hope everyone had a splendid Christmas filled with love and good times. We sure did.

Birthday #20-something

Another birthday in the books for me! (and that is NOT an exclamation of excitement-- more of an exclamation of surprise. Ha.) I had a nice one this year. I woke up to my hubby giving me a gift certificate to the spa {score!}. It was an awesome surprise!

Mestizo Magic- Dope Girl Swag (ft. LeLe)

I'm not really much of a musician, but I do like music. When I was 8 years old, I wanted to be a rapper. No joke. Now that I have a husband who's a musician/music producer, I've been able to "live that dream" haha...

I did a song called "Pedal On Smash" around this time last year. Finally, after over a year, I have another song. We did this one a couple of days ago. I really like this beat. {All produced by Mestizo Magic aka my hubby}. It was fun.

Presenting "Dope Girl Swag". Happy early Christmas. Enjoy.

Calamansi "Brownies"

My favorite month is upon us! Yay! Happy December everyone.

I came across a lemon recipe I couldn't pass up and just had to try-- "Sticky Gooey Lemon Brownies". But, lemons don't exist here in this little town, like you know from my Calamansi Crinkle Cookies. So I just exchanged anything "lemon" in the recipe with calamansi-- and they turned out PERFECT! They're so amazingly good and are a big hit here. We gave a few slices to some of the family here today- and I got two instant orders for the afternoon and two more orders for Friday! They are that good.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had some left over pumpkin puree from my pumpkin pie I made for Thanksgiving, so I decided to make one of my all-time favorite cookies- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip.

I've come across quite a few recipes that were a bit complicated and required so many ingredients. This recipe is simple and delicious- and it's my favorite.

Two More Puppies

These two male puppies have been coming around for about 2 weeks now. Their mom comes & goes. We've been feeding them, but they're both really scared & run away at any little sound. A few days ago, we were able to catch them & put flea&tick powder on their fur (they didn't like that one bit, but it's for their own good). We are going to try and pet them and play with them at least once a day so they get used to us-- but sometimes they're so hard to catch because they're so quick!

Thanksgiving

Last year, J & I were in Ecuador for Thanksgiving. We went to this "gringo" bar and ate some amazing burgers and fries. And this year, we're in the Philippines. It makes me wonder- where will we be next year? =)

We celebrated Thanksgiving with a little dinner that I cooked {and J helped too}. Luckily it was just us two and I didn't have to cook a lot of food, so I wasn't slaving over the stove for too long. I also made my very first pie from scratch. It was pumpkin pie, of course. Everything tasted amazing.

Backyard update #3

Jason's written another post on his permaculture project. Our backyard is making some progress!


Check the post out here: http://mestizomagic.blogspot.com/2012/11/tropical-permaculture-in-philippines.html

Introducing... Lala!

There's quite a few stray dogs that hang around the house and backyard. I don't mind, I like dogs and they keep creatures like snakes away (or so I like to tell myself). When we first moved here, there was one dog with two puppies. And the moment I saw them, I just had to have one. So a few weeks ago, I started to try and feed one of the puppies. She was braver of the two and wasn't afraid to come close to me to get some food.

Now, she stays and sleeps on our porch and she isn't scared of me, though she's still apprehensive when I try and get too close to her to pet her (I've only successfully petted her once- so we're working on that). She has some rough spots, especially on her neck where she has obviously been attacked by another dog. But, it makes her tough. She's our gangster jungle puppy!

I really want to pet her and train her, but I'm going to have to be patient-- she IS a wild animal.

She has a sweet little face and I love her big floppy ears.

Now we're trying to get her baby brother to not be so scared of us. He's doing better and comes around, but he's still not as brave as Lala.

The Hungry Backpacker episode 3: Legazpi City, Philippines

Before we left Legazpi, we of course had to shoot a Hungry Backpacker episode since Bicol is known for its incredible food. Here's the third episode. To watch the first two episodes, click here.

DIY: Self-Watering Seed Starter Pots

Jason has been planting a lot of crops lately and he has a lot of seedlings. We also have quite a few plastic bottles. They don't have the easiest or most convenient waste management system in this town, so we try to not make a lot of waste. When I came across these self-watering seed starters that use plastic soda bottles, I thought it was a perfect idea- we'd be helping the garden AND reusing materials that would otherwise just be thrown away.

And so far- they really work!

Calamansi Crinkle Cookies

Calamansi is a citrus fruit native here in the Philippines. It's green like a lime on the outside, but orange inside and is about a third of the size of a golf ball. It tastes sour, with a tiny hint of sweetness. It's the Philippine lemon, if you will. Calamansi is used in a lot of Filipino dishes and I love it!

I'm a big fan of lemon and anything sour. Unfortunately, there aren't any lemons here in the town I'm in. While browsing around Pinterest, I saw a recipe for Lemon Crinkle Cookies and it sounded so good! So I decided to work with what I have available here and substituted lemon for calamansi. These Calamansi Crinkle Cookies turned out delicious.

DIY Projects from Too Much To See

"Too Much To See, The World Keeps Turnin'" is the name of my old blog that I don't really use anymore. BUT, I have done some DIY projects there that I would like to share here on Latitude Adjustment.

Click on the links to see more:

Infinity Scarf from a t-shirt

From shirt to skirt!

How to remove glitter nailpolish easily

Holder for charging cell phone

Tiger Balm

Tiger Balm. Sounds like a crazy, Charlie Sheen-esqe type thing, right? It's actually pretty awesome, useful stuff, especially to travelers susceptible to mosquito bites.

In 2009, J and spent a week in Thailand. While there, I got tore up by mosquitoes (I mean, anywhere I go, I get tore up by those little suckers). I had no anti-itch stuff, so we went to this little store looking for something. I remember seeing Tiger Balm at the local Asian market in my hometown in California, but never paid no mind to it. But I saw it on the shelf in this tiny Thai store next to some other medicine-type stuff, so I picked it up to check it out. And right on the back of the jar, it said that it helps with the relief of insect bites. It only cost a few Baht, so I got it-- and I've been loving it ever since. I take it everywhere I go when I travel.

Recipe: Nips Cookies

I live in a small town here in the Philippines. There's only 1 grocery store, a small open market, a handful of small shops. And I like to cook, more specifically bake. So I've decided I won't let my limited access to ingredients stop me, I'm going to work with what I have.

Today I baked some Nips cookies. Nips are candy-coated chocolates... the Filipino version of M&M's, if you will. I love M&M's cookies, but M&M's are a little bit on the more expensive side here. But Nips- they're super cheap. They don't taste the same, but the difference is subtle. You can even find Nips at your local Filipino mart or Asian market (in some, not all). So I decided to take a stab at some Nips cookies. This recipe, of course, can be substituted with your favorite candy-coated chocolates, or even chocolate chips. Either way, your tummy will be happy.

Interlude

If you've ever listened to music, you know what an interlude is-- a short piece (usually either music or dialogue) inserted between songs on an album. It's an interruption, or sometimes a connection, of sorts to the flow of the songs. Of course the word not only applies to music, it can apply to other things as well.

Right now, my life is in its interlude.

We've been everywhere and back, going from one country to another. We've been living in the Philippines for 3 months now and we've decided we're going to live here for a while. We have a pretty good set up-- we have a nice house, we're surrounded by family, and we're taking a step forward to being more self-sustainable with our garden (being self-sustainable has been one of our goals for our lives).

So, Philippines is our interlude in our mixtape of traveling and always being on the go.

With this being said, this blog will now mainly consist of my endeavors/doings/adventures here as we start our home in the Philippines.

Since living here, my days have been filled with being a housewife. J is outside with his cousins working on the garden all day, I'm inside cooking, cleaning, doing laundry-- the whole deal. All I have to say is mad props to fellow housewives, especially those with kids. I now know it's no easy task. And I'm grateful for having the best example of a great housewife/homemaker my whole life-- my mother.

Anyways, I don't know how long this interlude will last... months? Years? Forever? Who knows.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Being that it's fall (well, not here 'cuz it's hot and humid all year round and the coconut trees stay green all the time), but somewhere in the world it's fall, which means, of course-- pumpkin time. I wanted to try and "feel" the fall spirit here in the tropics as best I could, and baking these pumpkin snickerdoodles filled the house with that all-so-familiar smell of pumpkin and cinnamon and I was able to feel the fall spirit for a little moment.

I found this recipe and the cookies came out so good! They were a big hit with everyone and were gone quick. My husband says the texture isn't like your regular cookie-- it's more "cakey." They're moist and nice and fluffy. We even had a couple for breakfast one morning. They're super easy to make! If you want, try putting a little chocolate or cream cheese frosting on top. And if you really want a stronger pumpkin flavor, add more pumpkin!

Sorry for the crappy, cellphone quality pic! My other camera wasn't handy. Either way- they're delicious!

Backyard Update #2

Here's Jason's permaculture update #2. Our backyard is coming along, a little slower than planned, but it's coming nonetheless. I can't wait to see when it's all finished- it's going to look so cool!

http://mestizomagic.blogspot.com/2012/10/tropical-permaculture-in-philippines.html

Boracay, Philippines

If you've heard about the Philippines, it's highly probable you've also heard of Boracay. Boracay is world famous for its pristine beaches. Tourists flock here by the hundreds, even thousands. You'll find people from all over the world here. Some foreigners love it so much, they stay.

We had the opportunity to take a trip there for a few days to meet up with some friends from the States. The first day we got there, we just hung out because we got in in the afternoon. We ate dinner at Tilapia N Chips, located at D'Mall. They had really good fish and chips, and the pieces of fish were BIG. We stayed at a place called Culpepper Lodge in Station 2, which was just a 2 minute walk to the beach. They had pretty nice rooms, our bed was HUGE and the price was within our budget (1,000php).

Tropical Permaculture

Jason has started to document his tropical permaculture project on his blog. Check out the first update:

http://mestizomagic.blogspot.com/2012/09/tropical-permaculture-in-philippines.html

And subscribe to his blog, too!

The real deal

We've made it to Borongan! It seemed like a long trip on our scooter, but it's all worth it to be at our new home. We've been here since Wednesday morning and we've been cleaning up the house. And it's all so exciting.

BUT, I really need to get some things off my chest about the whole hostel thing. Many of my friends and family "like" the hostel's Facebook page and see the hostel's website. They see what's going on with the hostel. Jason and I have worked really hard on everything for the hostel. Really hard. But things weren't working out between us and a couple of my family members. We were constantly bumping heads and it just wasn't worth it anymore. Jason and I worked hard, and one person did NOTHING and takes credit for stuff. It's really irritating. And we had to get out of there before things got any worse.

So that's the biggest reason we had to leave. And the other reason we left was because Jason's dad has land here in Samar (the island just south of Luzon) and so Jason will be developing it for him. He's going to make it into an organic farm. As for me, I plan to dabble with a few ideas I have, along with helping Jason. We're much happier and stress free (and drama free!) here. It's going to be good. We plan on staying here for a very long time (we're even getting a puppy!).

So with all this being said, if you "like" the hostel's Facebook and see something dumb posted- that was not mine or Jason's doing. If you see something change on the website, that wasn't our doing either. We've given complete control of everything to others and have no control over anything pertaining to the hostel anymore. It's kind of a bummer, but also a relief. Through this hostel experience we learned a few things: me and Jason have the ability and talent to open up and run a successful hostel, it takes a lot of hard work but it's definitely doable, and we were able to see some true colors of some people. You live and you learn.

But don't worry my people, Jason and I still have plans to set up another hostel some time within the next few years. We're doing some research and business planning. We're going to make the next one bigger and better-- because everything will be done 110% OUR way. It'll be awesome. Stay tuned.

(I did not write this post for any other reason than to let our close friends and family know what's really going on)

On to our next adventure.

Yes, it's true. We're moving again.

Our main role for the hostel in Legazpi City was to be "consultants"- setting up the business, doing the advertising, website, hostel design, etc. We completed all our tasks and we've got the hostel up and running. And we have some other opportunities in Samar-- where Jason's family lives-- so we've decided to take advantage. (Of course, things are a little more complicated that that-- but that's just a breakdown.)

We're riding our scooter all the way. Right now we're in a city called Catbalogan. We decided to stop here for the night because my butt hurts-- we've been riding for 9 hours. Then tomorrow we head to our final destination- Borongan. Our new home. Here's a map of how far we're riding (a total of about 260 miles):

More updates to come.

How-to Trip: Caramoan, Camarines Sur, Philippines

Caramoan is the name of a peninsula in the south-eastern area of Luzon island in the Bicol region of the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the main towns on the peninsula. Along the coast of Caramoan, there are many beautiful islands you can explore. The beaches are nice, white sand beaches and the water is crystal clear-- it's paradise! You can hire local boatmen to take you island hopping for a full day for cheap.

If you're planning a trip to the Philippines, Caramoan is a must-do! Largely due to the reality TV show Survivor having filmed here, it's currently gaining popularity as a tourist destination and people are saying that it could become the next Boracay. My husband and I decided to make a 3day/2night trip for our wedding anniversary. It was an amazing experience and incredibly beautiful. I highly recommend a trip to Caramoan to everybody-- from those who just like to lounge around on the beach to the more adventurous types who like to snorkel and climb rocks.

Anniversary

On Monday, Jason and I celebrated our 1-year wedding anniversary. And my oh my how time flies! I can't believe it's been a year!

We went on a 3-day getaway to Caramoan where we did 2 days of island hopping. It was so beautiful-- the water was so blue and so clear, the weather was perfect. We got married on the beach, it was only right we celebrated our anniversary on the beach.

I am so blessed to have such an amazing man in my life to be my husband, best friend-- my everything. Everyday he makes me feel special. He makes me feel up when I feel down, makes me feel beautiful when I feel ugly, he loves me even at my worst. I am so glad we have forever to spend together.

It's been one hell of a year-- from Costa Rica, to Ecuador, to the States, to South Korea and now in the Philippines. I can't wait for the many more adventures to come.

Here's a few photos from our trip. I'll be writing a more detailed post about Caramoan and our trip soon.

Bacon Beach, Sorsogon

One of my favorite parts of being in the Philippines are the times when the whole family gets together and makes a trip to the beach. Since Monday was a holiday for them, we planned to go to Bacon (pronounced differently than the delicious strips of pig).

On Sunday on our way home from a trip, we stopped on the side of the road to buy 15 live chickens from a guy for the feast:

The chickens in the back of the van. Little did they know we were driving them to their death!

When we got home, the chickens were prepped into delicious dishes for the trip, along with many other foods. Then Monday we woke up early and headed to Bacon in Sorsogon (the next province south of us) which is about a 2 hour drive. We filled up 2 vans of people.

When we got to the beach, we headed straight for the water. Then we ate, sang videoke, played volleyball, swam some more, ate some more, sang more videoke, played more volleyball ... well, you get the picture.

FOOD!

Me and Jason enjoying an ice cream on the beach.

Videoke.

Crabs.

Huge, delicious shrimps.

We did damage!

It was a fun day filled with family, fun and of course- food!

Clutario Beach, Tiwi

Today was a nice day so Jason and I decided to head to the beach on our recently-bought scooter.

We went to this town called Tiwi and found a really nice black sand beach called Clutario.

It was nice getting out of the house for a day and being able to relax at the beach. The black sand was nice and smooth and the water felt great.

Hostel Update #2

We got a few steps closer yesterday! We went to the department of trade and industry to get the name of the hostel cleared.

Then we bought the domain name for our website and got the all clear on that, too. We're working with a friend who's helping us do the website.

We still have a few things to do as far as painting goes, but we're getting close!

I've been eating so much since I've been here! We seriously eat 4-5 times a day. We eat breakfast, then merienda (snack), then lunch, then another merienda, then dinner. And it's hard to refuse the food here because it's SO GOOD! I'm in heaven with all this homemade Filipino food.When we go out with the family, we'll eat a meal. Then on the drive home, usually about 2-3 hours after eating, we'll stop by a little stand on the side of the road to grab merienda, like puto or baduya (banana fritters).

To keep me from (hopefully) gaining too much weight, I've learned to just practice portion control. We'll see how it works. ;)

Merienda: puto & a bag of Coke!

Hostel Update #1

{If you missed the news as to why we're in the Philippines, click here.}

Today we've completed about 98% of the painting in the hostel.

We just need to print some pictures and put them up. Then we need to paint the bar up on the rooftop terrace (which we haven't been able to start because it's been raining on and off here-- the weather is pretty unpredictable and it's rainy season).

We're also waiting to register the name of the hostel and get the clearance we need. We can't do any advertising, social media, publish the website, etc. until we get the green light with the name. Hopefully we'll be registering the name tomorrow.

Once we get all the painting done, we can clean everything up, get everything fixed that needs to be fixed, put everything in place and everything ready to be operational. Hopefully it won't be that much longer (I'm predicting we'll be open in about 3 weeks or so...)

Why the Philippines?

...and the answer-to make a long story short- is that we're helping my family open up a hostel!

It's always been my dream to run my own hostel, and this opportunity came up so we got out of South Korea early and headed to the Philippines. And I must say, it feels good to be living my dream.

We're currently in the painting stage of the hostel. We should be opening in about 3 weeks or so. More information and pictures will be coming soon.

Our last jam session

Our last few hours in South Korea was spent hanging out with some cool people and having a mini jam sesh. Here's a video:

We're in the Philippines!

Yes, it's true. We've moved to the Philippines. We've actually been here for a week. We came here to start a new adventure.

On Tuesday we came to the province where my family lives. The view of the Mayon Volcano while on the plane- and even when landing at the airport- was breath-taking (the picture below was taken right when we landed).

We're excited to be here! Since being married, this makes it the third country we've lived in (6th if you count the other countries we just visited) all before our 1-year anniversary (lived: Ecuador, South Korea, Philippines. + visited countries: Costa Rica, Peru & the States). We keep it movin!!

BUT the Philippines is a place we see ourselves living in for a LONG time, maybe even indefinitely. So we'll see what happens. . .

The Hungry Backpacker Episode 2: Best Food in South Korea

Our last week in Korea was spent working on episode 2 of our mini-series: The Hungry Backpacker.

Check it out!

Busan Day Trip

This past weekend was our last weekend in town. On Sunday, we ventured out to Busan again to pick up some souvenirs for family and to film more footage for our food video. It was such a blast!

We took the lightrail from Gimhae to Busan, then the subway (Busan has a really good subway system). Then we went shopping around the Nampodong shopping district. We worked up an appetite shopping for souvenirs, so we headed to the Jagalchi Fish Market and ate fresh octopus-- it was so fresh the tentacles were still moving and everything!! After eating, we did some more shopping, then headed home.

Over 6,600 views!

Wow! Our Cuenca, Ecuador food video has almost 6,700 views!! Just about 2 months ago, it was at over 1,500! Then last week, Jason told me we had 6,000 views. Then I went to check it today, and now we have almost 6,700 views-- crazy!!

That's pretty awesome. We made the video not really expecting much, but the view count keeps growing.

Right now, we're making a Korea food video, so stay tuned!

And in the meantime, if you haven't seen it yet- here's our Cuenca food video:

Wedding Wednesday: The Colors

Yup, it's that time again.

1. how it all began: how you met, first date, first kiss, how long did you date? first picture together.....etc.
2. when you knew he was the one: self explanatory.. but how and when did you know?
3. proposal: how it happened, how long were you engaged for? was it a total surprise?  pictures of that... etc.
4. the ring:  tell us about it! did you pick it out? did he? pictures! tell us about his ring too!
5. engagement/bridal pictures: let's see em!
6. the colors: show some of the flowers and colors you used
7. the dress: was it what you always imagined? did you have it made for you? white or ivory?
8. the little accessories: you know, veil? shoes? jewelry? what did your bridesmaids wear?
9. the reception: where was it at? show us some pictures! what day did you get married?
10. the cake/food: i love food. so tell me about what you had at your wedding!
11. your song and/or the first song you danced to at your wedding: share a music video or lyrics if you can!
12. favorite part of the day and least favorite part of the day: can be anything.
13. honeymoon: where did you go? was it good?  ;) haha...jk.
14. thoughts on marriage: what is the easiest/hardest part? if you could change anything, what would it be?
15. first place that you lived together: pics if you have them!
16. kids: do you have any yet? if not, when do you plan on it? how many do you want? any tips on good/bad birth control?
17. most recent picture of you and your significant other and what you love most about them :) and any other thoughts.

We had two events for our wedding celebration: an open house in California and then the actual wedding in Costa Rica. Jason and I chose coral and purple as our colors- but we weren't really strict with it, we also threw in other colors that went well with those two colors.

For the open house, I chose coral, purple and aqua for the decor:

Happy July!

Wow- 2012 is just flying by. I can't believe it was a year ago I was doing some last minute planning for my wedding and getting ready for Costa Rica. It really seems like yesterday. Crazy.

The weather here has warmed up- a lot! And the humidity is in full effect. Yesterday was the worst-- it was the first time it was really muggy and I felt gross and sticky everywhere. But at least it's been cloudy, so we have some shield from direct sunlight. But I will take this hot, humid, mugginess over snow and cold ANY DAY.

It's July 1st, which means Jason and I will be embarking on our new adventure in 2 weeks! What is our next adventure?? Well, stayed tuned to find out. =)

Waffles!

Everyday {or at least 4-5x a week) J & I get a waffle after work. There's this old couple with a little stand on a corner on our way home. And for less than $1, it's really hard not to pass up. We absolutely LOVE waffles & snacking on one always makes me feel better after dealing with bratty kids 9 hours a day.

And not only are they cheap- they're delicious too! The texture is just perfect & they're big! They put this light jelly & light butter on them. Yummy.

#KikinitinKorea

This site on Tumblr is pretty on point with my experience in Korea. It's really funny. And I can relate to 98% of the stuff on there.

The author of the blog takes GIFs and uses them to relate to their experience teaching English in South Korea. It's hilarious and it's one of my favorite sites right now.

Check it out here: #KikinitinKorea

Wedding Wednesday: Engagement Pictures

{If you've missed the other Wedding Wednesdays, click here.}

1. how it all began: how you met, first date, first kiss, how long did you date? first picture together.....etc.
2. when you knew he was the one: self explanatory.. but how and when did you know?
3. proposal: how it happened, how long were you engaged for? was it a total surprise? pictures of that... etc.
4. the ring: tell us about it! did you pick it out? did he? pictures! tell us about his ring too!
5. engagement/bridal pictures: let's see em!
6. the colors: show some of the flower and colors you used
7. the dress: was it what you always imagined? did you have it made for you? white or ivory?
8. the little accessories: you know, veil? shoes? jewelry? what did your bridesmaids wear?
9. the reception: where was it at? show us some pictures! what day did you get married?
10. the cake/food: i love food. so tell me about what you had at your wedding!
11. your song and/or the first song you danced to at your wedding: share a music video or lyrics if you can!
12. favorite part of the day and least favorite part of the day: can be anything.
13. honeymoon: where did you go? was it good? ;) haha...jk.
14. thoughts on marriage: what is the easiest/hardest part? if you could change anything, what would it be?
15. first place that you lived together: pics if you have them!
16. kids: do you have any yet? if not, when do you plan on it? how many do you want? any tips on good/bad birth control?
17. most recent picture of you and your significant other and what you love most about them :) and any other thoughts.

Here are mine and Jason's engagement photos. We used all of these in our wedding invites, so people got different ones. And obviously, we didn't hire a professional to do them, we did them ourselves with the help of a tripod (because we didn't want to spend tons of money on pictures AND doing it ourselves gave the photos our own special, personal touch). Yes, some are silly and yes we even used those to send in the invites. =)

Throwback: Costa Rica- the First Trip

This is a long one.

In the summer of 2006, Jason and I took our first trip together to Costa Rica.

We spent about the first week exploring the Pacific coast. Then the 2nd week we explored the Caribbean coast, while exploring the city (San Jose & San Pedro) before, in between, and after. We also did a few days in Bocas del Toro, Panama. We planned to do and see so much, so we were almost constantly on the go.

Now, since this trip was 6 years ago (crazy!!), I can't remember everything about the trip, but these are some things that still have stuck with me (in no particular order):

Hostels

Jason and I are backpackers. When we travel, all we have are our large "backpacker" backpacks. And the only accommodations we seek are hostels. This is for a number of reasons. Here are a few:

1. They're cheap! I think the most we've ever paid to stay at a hostel was 15 Euros in Dublin and the cheapest was $6 in Bocas Del Toro, Panama.

2. The vibe is much more our style. .. and our style is chill and laid-back. Most hostels have many common areas and/or activities in which you can interact not with just the staff, but with other like-minded travelers.

Stoked about coins

The other day, I was teaching my 2nd graders about coins and how to add cents. Since the books they use are for English language learners in the United States, we were learning about American money. I had some coins from back home and brought them in to show them. I wasn't expecting this- but they were so excited about it! So after the lesson, I asked who wanted to take a coin home thinking that maybe one or two students would want one-- but all of them shot their hand straight up with such excitement, it was pretty cute. I had quarters, a dime, a nickle and some pennies and they were so happy to get a little coin-- even the student who got the pennies. It was so cute, I had to take a picture of each of them with their coins:

Wedding Wednesday: The Ring

It's that time again!

1. how it all began: how you met, first date, first kiss, how long did you date? first picture together.....etc.
2. when you knew he was the one: self explanatory.. but how and when did you know?
3. proposal: how it happened, how long were you engaged for? was it a total surprise? pictures of that... etc.
4. the ring: tell us about it! did you pick it out? did he? pictures! tell us about his ring too!
5. engagement/bridal pictures: let's see em!
6. the colors: show some of the flower and colors you used
7. the dress: was it what you always imagined? did you have it made for you? white or ivory?
8. the little accessories: you know, veil? shoes? jewelry? what did your bridesmaids wear?
9. the reception: where was it at? show us some pictures! what day did you get married?
10. the cake/food: i love food. so tell me about what you had at your wedding!
11. your song and/or the first song you danced to at your wedding: share a music video or lyrics if you can!
12. favorite part of the day and least favorite part of the day: can be anything.
13. honeymoon: where did you go? was it good? ;) haha...jk.
14. thoughts on marriage: what is the easiest/hardest part? if you could change anything, what would it be?
15. first place that you lived together: pics if you have them!
16. kids: do you have any yet? if not, when do you plan on it? how many do you want? any tips on good/bad birth control?
17. most recent picture of you and your significant other and what you love most about them :) and any other thoughts.

I'm not a fancy girl- especially when it comes to jewelry, that is why the ring J got me is perfect: nice, simple, beautiful.

And let me say that when a girl picks out her own engagement ring-- I think that's super lame and takes the specialness and surprise out of it all- straight up. I went to university in Utah and it was rampant out there and I just shook my head every time I heard about couples who went out on dates to pick out her ring. So dumb.  

The month of May: in photos

Wow-- it's June already?!

Anyways, for the month of May, I participated in the Photo a Day Challenge on Instagram. Each day you take a photo according to the daily prompt. I've tried doing this challenge in previous months, but have usually quit in the middle, or skipped days, etc. But in May, I actually did every single day.

Here is what the daily prompts were:

And here are my photos:

Wedding Wednesday: The Proposal

{To read the other Wedding Wednesday posts (1 & 2) click here.}

1. how it all began: how you met, first date, first kiss, how long did you date? first picture together.....etc.
2. when you knew he was the one: self explanatory.. but how and when did you know?
3. proposal: how it happened, how long were you engaged for? was it a total surprise? pictures of that... etc.
4. the ring: tell us about it! did you pick it out? did he? pictures! tell us about his ring too!
5. engagement/bridal pictures: let's see em!
6. the colors: show some of the flower and colors you used
7. the dress: was it what you always imagined? did you have it made for you? white or ivory?
8. the little accessories: you know, veil? shoes? jewelry? what did your bridesmaids wear?
9. the reception: where was it at? show us some pictures! what day did you get married?
10. the cake/food: i love food. so tell me about what you had at your wedding!
11. your song and/or the first song you danced to at your wedding: share a music video or lyrics if you can!
12. favorite part of the day and least favorite part of the day: can be anything.
13. honeymoon: where did you go? was it good? ;) haha...jk.
14. thoughts on marriage: what is the easiest/hardest part? if you could change anything, what would it be?
15. first place that you lived together: pics if you have them!
16. kids: do you have any yet? if not, when do you plan on it? how many do you want? any tips on good/bad birth control?
17. most recent picture of you and your significant other and what you love most about them :) and any other thoughts.

First off, let  me just say that I am a tough one to surprise because I tend to find out/figure out things quite quickly… but not this time… The night Jason proposed was one of the best nights of my life, mostly because I wasn't expecting it, AT ALL.

Jason and I had often discussed the topic of marriage before. Basically it was pretty set in my mind that he didn't believe or like marriage. He knew where I stood on the issue- I wanted to be married, I wanted a wedding.  We respected each others’ opinions and desires. In my head, I was thinking “Ok, if he actually DOES propose, it won’t be until AFTER I graduate college, and if not then- then he probably won’t do it for YEARS after that” (I was still in university at this time).

Throwback: Legazpi, Philippines

It was the summer of 2009. I wanted to take a big trip before I went off to university (I was going to go to a school that was out of state), so my mom and I took a 6 week vacation to the Philippines to the region that 's she's from- Bicol.

Bicol is located on the southeast end of Luzon (the largest island of the Philippines- the same island that Manila is located).

The regional center of Bicol is Legazpi City. This is where my family lives and this is where we spent most of our time.

Date Nights

We usually go out to eat every Friday after work to celebrate another week down. It's always a tough decision where to go because there are a TON of restaurants here. You walk on any street and you're just bombarded with restaurant signs and pictures and all look so enticing.

Here are a few pictures from our last couple of Friday night dinners- or what we call date nights.

And yeah- we're eating pretty darn well here.

Curry noodles & kimbap.